Reviews tagging 'Classism'

Maame by Jessica George

6 reviews

saltycoffee's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Racism, Toxic relationship, Classism, Drug use, Mental illness, Grief, Chronic illness, Dementia, and Panic attacks/disorders

emjay2021's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Maddie lives in London. She is the 25 year old daughter of Ghanaian immigrants but is an odd mix of much older and much younger. On the one hand, her family has piled a lot of responsibilities on her that she shouldn’t have had to handle on her own, and on the other, her upbringing has left her too anxious and scared to take the risks involved in developing her own identity separate from her family.

There are a few things that make this book stand out from other coming of age novels. First of all, Maddie is very loveable despite being a frustrating character. I also appreciated the book’s perspectives on racism, grief, and familial/cultural expectations. The writing is simple and the plot pretty straightforward, but there are also bits that are really quite beautiful. I am glad I read it and would happily read another book by this author. I think Maame is quite autobiographical, and the author’s experiences will lead to some rich literature to explore in future.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Death, Bullying, Sexual assault, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Death of parent, and Classism

nanirump's review

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Medical content, Sexual content, Drug use, Gaslighting, Terminal illness, Misogyny, Chronic illness, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual violence, and Death of parent

dejah_sowells's review

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Terminal illness, Grief, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Racism, Infidelity, Gaslighting, Suicide, Classism, and Sexual content

kimveach's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book started slowly, but it was worth reading until the end.  Watching Maddie come into her own was tremendous.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Racism, Bullying, Medical content, Sexual content, Alcohol, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Death of parent, Misogyny, Vomit, Dysphoria, Infidelity, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Classism, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Grief, and Death

javafenn's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I did not want to put this book down! My heart felt so much for Maddy, nicknamed Maame by her overbearing but well meaning mother. She is 25 navigating a very unsheltered world following her unsheltered life when an unexpected expected event occurs rocking her entire world. You feel all her curiosity and all of her grief. You can comprehend all her mid 20’s questions about life and how much she is unsure of herself. This book was so beautifully written and not focused on just the trauma of being a Black woman while also acknowledging life as a Black woman in todays age. I will definitely be buying the print version and reading again. Oh and the narrator was awesome!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Sexual content, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Mental illness, Racism, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Chronic illness, Classism, Medical content, and Alcohol

Minor: Body shaming, Gaslighting, Cursing, Abandonment, Biphobia, Drug use, and Suicide